Umbilical Hernia Surgery

What is an Umbilical Hernia?

An Umbilical hernia is a hernia that occurs when part of the bowel or fatty tissue bulges through the opening in your abdominal muscles at or near your belly button.

Umbilical hernias make up about 10% of hernias in adults and occur more often in adults over the age of 60, when the muscles start to weaken.

How Serious is an Umbilical Hernia?

These hernias aren’t necessarily dangerous but can be painful under certain situations that can stress the area.

Common Symptoms of Umbilical Hernia Include:

A bulge in the abdominal area that usually increases with coughing or straining.
Pain or pressure at the hernia site.
Constipation.

If the hernia becomes strangulated, you may experience sharp abdominal pain and vomiting.

Do Umbilical Hernias Always Need Surgery?

Since an Umbilical hernia will not get better or go away on its own, it is often recommended to have surgery.

The watch and wait approach may only be recommended if the hernia is very small and not causing any symptoms.

How do you Fix an Umbilical Hernia?

Umbilical hernia repair pushes the contents of the hernia back into place and closes the abdominal wall defect through various surgical options.

Dr. Yunis offers a variety of hernia repair techniques based on the type of hernia and to suit his patients' needs. Techniques available for Umbilical hernia repair include:

Open Hernia Repair

This type of hernia surgery involves making a small cosmetically oriented incision near the hernia and sewing the hernia defect closed. Dr Yunis has a bias to avoid the use of mesh in small umbilical hernias.

Laparoscopic Repair

This type of hernia surgery involves the use of mesh or sutures being placed behind the hernia through small incisions in the side of the abdomen.

Robotic Repair

This is often used for larger umbilical hernias. It involves the use of the DaVinci robot through 3 small (half inch) incisions in the side of the abdomen.

How Long Does it Take to Recover from Umbilical Hernia Surgery?

Most people will experience some degree of pain or discomfort after the surgery that will delay returning to office-type work for a day or two.

Depending on the size of the hernia many can return to physical activities within weeks of the operation.

Would You Like More Info?

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